Apparatus and method for generating sound



Dec. 9, 1947. A. vANG APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR GENERATING SOUND Filed July 15, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet l REGULATOR INVENTOR. /IFKED Vfl/V6'.

BY @u w @m ATTORNE A. VANG 2,432,218

APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR GENERATING SOUND 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 9, 194m Filed July 15, 1944 Lal REG U LATO R RECTIFIER ATTORNEY.

l' AUNrlli) STATES PATENT f OFFICE APPARATUS AND ME'rnoD Fon a cENEnArmG soUND Alfred Vang, New York, N. Y.

Applicatl0n-Jlily l5, 1944,. Serial N0. 545,154

l 6 (Cl. 177-386) z In the generation of 'high frequency sound the around; Vsaid coil being. provided with external generators, such as themagnetostrictive or piezoleads FIF2. VAn annular pole-'piece I4 is mountelectric vibrators, air Jet generators or high freed on' the outer peripheral portions of the body quency .loud speakers have been unsatisfactory. and surrounds vthe outer end of said pole Il A modication of the I dynamic loud speaker l spaced. therefrom to form an annular air gap l5.

' employing a resonant free-free metallic bar set The body and pole piece may. of course, be of in longitudinal vibrationby means oan alter# alloy magnetic material to form a permanent nating current voice coil" has been tried hithery magnet, A driving coil I6 having leads DID2 is to as a generator with somewhatf betterresults. wound around onY the outer end POrtion of the However-,the use of alternatin'gfcurrentin the yi0 central pole voicecoil of'suchavibror resultsfix'i'poi-ji'.*z xiev vA hollow cylindricalsuppol'l 'mounted on chanical eiiiciencyi Thls'jmeclianical-inefllciency- 1 said pole-piece carries a pair of annularvru'lzrber` is due, impart, toinechanical hysteresis losswhen shims I8 embedded inthe supportbetween'which the b arls subjected alternately'to compression iis iormedan vinternally open circumferential and-tensile stresses b'y` fo rces lexternal of he :bar' lo "groove 20.' A' vibrator 2i mounted .on said supwhichalsoproduce fatigue inthe metal."1'*' 'portan'd having a natural lhigh frequency reso- ,It is extremelydiiilcult to provide' an alter- Y nance comprisesa Vsolici metallic cylinder of nating current. having a wave form which'at some Duralumin or other suitable' material having an time in its period Will produce forces that'will. annular web or 'flange 22 projecting radially from not lead or lag the movements of the' bar while 20 the mid portion or node Vof the cylinder and it is vibrating at-its natural fundamental fre- "mountedinthe gro'ovebetween'said shims I9, so quency. -In addition., vibrations vatftransient frethat the cylinder is free to vibrate longitudinally quencies o r harmonics will actagainst forces set as av freefree barv at its natural period. f up by an alternating current .-soas to dissipate a The vvibrator'Zl is grounded to the support I8 portion of the energy. Furthermore, alternating -25 and bodyl by means of a stripofmetal foil :3 currents necessaryv for operating such' a vvibrator inI contact withthean'geZZ. .ligiiietallicv driving must be produced by expensivev apparatus which ring',24, preferably integral 'viith the vibrator;

also requires careful' adjustment. p projects fromth'e vinner faceyoffthecyl'inder into said airlgap'l and adjacent the 'drving`lcoll, so

In order to prevent the vibrations of the bar from being opposed by'mag'netic forces vin such 30 that the latter'may induce currents-:into thefring f a vibrator, I use a unidirectional pulsating or in 24 The vibrator may be '1io `1 1`'1 e snant andl be termitte'nt currentfor' actuating the vibrating made of. I 'lot'r-'lnetallic material,`-'such asthecone bar. 'I'nthisma'nnen I apply external'forces in of .a conventional'loudspeakenandioperateat onlyv one direction `against the bar, s'uch `as a various current frequenciest 'A s'ourc'e of-pulsat-4 compressive forcetopanend ofthe'barv and allow 35 ing or intermittent unidirectional currentis con-v the extension of "thejbar' to f ollowv onlyl by its Y nected to the *driving coilv I, 'as' 'described'later ownresilienceatresonant-frequency. Of-course; herein gli i, f I may'jdistendone end of thefbarfand allow vit voper"'f tion,' 'thefieldjcoilrl! is nergized L "to-iretract'by'its own resilience.- The pulsatin'g. the conventional 'manneribyasteady 'direct'cur-'f- `current maybe appledtolanonresonant vibra-*54o 'rent pulsating;:unidirectinalurrnt api ltor, such'asacone'speaker. plied'to-thedrivingfcoilflf-atfafrequency egual v- -zIn'gth'e accompanyinf 1dr wing show'ix'rg,' by.way to thenatural'frequency .of tli'e'vibrator bar," soy of example,.threeof many'possible embodimentsthat at thefrst surgeioi current ink vt-h'e'=driv ing ofthe inventionz'f. ik f j i 1" coil, -a`lar ge currentisginduced'intl;nd1 1ving'` Figure lfis a vertical cross sectional 'view'of the'` 45 'frin g -34,f which y a'.c tsj as=A a" .fsingle'gsecondarf.turn. resonantgenerator if oran-induction coil or ransffrmer "Thin- @sedi-current ilu-151,112v ring@zli-,thenffcrates- 'Figure-3 isa wiring daganfsliwing means for'actuatingtlievibrator;` ar'id'j n 4 i Figure 4isawiring*diagram-showing means 1 5,depending'uponthedlrection 'for'producing-pulsatingcurrent;. g currentorjthe.polarity-ortho;

- The. EenemtOT'S-Comprisesfa Stat-19h37? P05" f I 4 u... magnet body I0,offmagnetic-materialgvhaving aniffrinlthe'gapfbyeachjowbfcur 'in thfedri 'f wally central lpleVI'l/ and fieldv coil I2 there# -55f ing'co'il', thevibrator -iafi'rrenact,` given 'a long itudinal blow for each surge ofsaid current. -As the current dies, no external strain is applied to the bar, so that it is perfectly free to complete a period of vibration merely as a result of its own resiliency. It will be realized that the frequency of the exciter current may be a lower harmonic of the natural resonance of the bar, so that one or more periods of vibration may occur before the bar is given another blow.

Pulsating currents of various wave forms may be used, depending on the characteristics oi' the vibrator, such as half-wave rectied alternating current, full-wave rectified alternating sine-wave current, current from sweep circuits having low tripping voltage, making the charging portion of the wave substantially linear. or current from sweep circuits with the amplitude control advanced, resulting in a slight departure from linearity.. or even where bias is applied to produce a very definite bend in the charging portion of the cycle. Current having reverse saw tooth wave forms may also be used, wherein the charging portion of the cycle is steep and the discharge is gradual. Square Wave or substantially purely intermittent direct current, which suddenly rises to a value where it is maintained for a relatively longer period of time and then abruptly falls to zero, may also be used,

The cross-sectional area. of the vibrator changes during vibration, so Ithat even though the modulus of elasticity were constant, the re-A storative force over the entire cross-sectional area would not be proportional to the displacement of the vibrator. Neither are the elastic moduli of compression and tension equal. Hence, it may be said that in no case can the vibrator vibrate with simple harmonic motion or that its motion can be accurately projected on a circle. Therefore, the motion of the vibrator cannot be continually actuated by a. sine-Wave alternating current without a dissipation of energy.

On the other hand, by my use of pulsating unidirectional current I may reduce the period of applying external forces on the vibrator to a minimum, and in so doing I relieve the vibrator of excessive counter forces which have hitherto greatly shortened the life of the vibrator,

By altering the wave form of the current I may apply a sudden force of short duration to the vibrator as would be obtained when current having steep peaks, either close together or widely separated, or reverse saw tooth wave form is used, such as shown by H. W. St. Clair. Review of Scientific Instruments, vol. 12, May 1941, 250-256. The output of the St. Clair regulator may be rectified. and the rectiiied output used to ionize the tube I2'I of Figure 4 herein, On the other hand, I may apply a force more gradually, as obtained with a current having a saw tooth wave form. In any event, the current falls approximately to or slightly below zero, but is substantially unidirectional.

The flow of current with respect to strength and/or frequency in the driving coil I6 may be controlled by means of a known regulator 25 responsive to a change in capacity of a condenser. The regulator is responsive to the position of the inner face of the vibrator, acting as a moving electrode with respect to a pick-up disk 26 as a stationary electrode mounted on the outer end of the pole I I, but insulated therefrom by means of a suitable insulator 21 such as that of St. Clair cited above. Leads PIP! to the disk and body are operatively connected to the regulator 25,

which is in turn connected to a source of unidirectional current LIL2.

In another form o f the invention, as shown in Figure 3, the Pick-up may be used to regulate an alternating current from a source LSL! by means of a known regulator 28. The regulated current is subsequently rectified by means of a rectier 29, to which are connected leads DID2. Thus, in

eiIect, current strength and/or frequency may be regulated when the current is in alternating form and the current applied to the vibrator in pulsating form.

Regulators 25 and 28 may, of course, be omitted if a pulsating current of suitable frequency and strength for actuating the vibrator can be obtained, and known means other than the pickup 26 may be used with the regulators for maintaining maximum amplitude of vibration and resonance. i

I have found that for a given generator of the dynamic type, the change from alternating to pulsating current of equal power input increases the generator output by approximately 300%.

Figure 4 shows a novel means for producing current for sound generator where pulsating currents up to the order of 10 amperes may be required- Hitherto, sound generators have -been operated on high frequency current produced by thermionic valve oscillators. Such oscillators have proved unsatisfactory both because of their producing alternating current, ineflicient for this purpose as shown above, and because of their' high cost when large currents are required.v

A commercial source of alternating current III), III is connected to the primary of a transformer II2, having a center-tapped secondary. The current from the secondary is rectified by means of a double armed rectifier H4, as described in my copending application, Serial No. 536,341, filed May 19, 1944. The output from the rectifier is filtered by means of a choke coil I I5 and condensers II6, thus providing a filtered direct current supply at the terminals II8, H9.

Connected in series with the direct current supply are leads D1, D2 to the driving coil I6 of the generator, a choke coil |20, and an externally ignited mercury arc tube I2I as described in my copending application mentioned above. The tube I2I is ignited at the desired frequency by an external source of current |24, |25 of the order of 0.01 milliamperes at about 5000 volts or sufficient potential to ignite the tube. Of course, the frequency and voltage of the discharge circuit must be low enough to allow the mercury of the arc tube to deionize, so that it be ignited or reignited at this desired frequency. In the event that the natural frequency of the bar is so high that its period is shorter than the time required for deionization of the mercury, the frequency of the current may be a lower harmonic of the natural resonance of the bar, so that one or more periods of vibration may occur before the bar is given another blow as stated above herein. The igniting current and voltage function more nearly as a series of controlled static charges which may be obtained in any known manner and their frequency may be directly governed by vthe movement of the vibrator, especially when the latter is to operate at its natural resonance. However, the frequency of the igniting current may be controlled by means non-responsive to the vibrator, such as by a conventional oscillator. The inductance, capacity, and resistance in the discharge circuit should be of such values that the circuit is substantially non-oscillatory.

While I have shown the driving coil of the generator Connected directly into the discharge circuit, the primary of a transformer may be so connected instead, and the driving coil connected to the secondary in the usual manner.

It is obvious that slight changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the several parts, as shown, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I do not, therefore, wish to limit myself to the exact construction and arrangement shown and described herein.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. A sound generator comprising a massive body mounted to vibrate at its own resonance; an armature on one end of said body; means providing a substantially constant magnetic field in the vicinity of said armature; means providing about said armature a unidirectional intermittent magnetic field of duration not greater than half the period of the bc-dy and at a frequency equal to the resonant frequency of said body and reacting with said constant magnetic field.

. 2. A high frequency sound generator comprising in combination, a strong pot magnet having an axially centra] pole and peripheral portions spaced therefrom to leave a narrow annular air gap; a massive metallic cylinder provided with an annular ring projecting into said gap, the cylinder being mounted to vibrate as a free-free bar; a coil of wire wound upon the outer end portion of said pole and adjacent said ring and capable of inducing a current therein; a source of intermittent unidirectional current of duration not greater than half the period of the cylinder and resonant therewith and operatively connected to said coil for supplying current thereto; and means responsive to the amplitude of vibration of the cylinder for altering the strength of the current in the coil.

3. A method for the maintenance of vibration in a resonant body of the free-free bar type, said method comprising periodically applying a magnetic force to the body in only one direction and` at a frequency resonant with the body, the duration of the application of said force being less than half the period of the body, so that portions of the body are displaced in only one direction by said force and are free to complete a cycle by only the resilience of the body.

4. A generator for sound comprising a massive metallic cylinder mounted to vibrate longitudinally as a free-free bar; an armature on one end of said cylinder; means providing a substantially constant stationary magnetic field adjacent said armature and perpendicular to the direction of the motion of the cylinder; and means providing about said armature a unidirectional intermittent magnetic eld of duration not greater than half the period of the bar and at a frequency equal to resonant frequency of said vibrator and reacting with said constant magnetic ield, the

resultant force of the two fields being in said direction of motion so as to cause the vibrator to vibrate at resonant frequency.

5. A high frequency sound generator comprising in combination, a strong pot magnet having an axially central pole and peripheral portions spaced therefrom to leave a narrow annular air gap, a massive metallic body provided with an annular ring of conducting material projecting into said gap, the body being mounted to vibrate as a free-free bar, a coil of wire wound on the outer end portion of said pole and adjacent said ring and capable of inducing a current therein, a source of intermittent unidirectional current connected to said coil for supplying current thereto, the ratio of the natural frequency of the body to the frequency of the intermittent current being a whole number and the duration of current flow being not greater than half the period of the body.

6. A high frequency sound generator comprising a massive cylinder mounted at the longitudin al mid portions thereof and adapted to vibrate as a free-free bar, electro-magnetic means foi actuating the cylinder, and a source of intermit tent unidirectional current operatively connecter to said means, the natural frequency of the cylin der to the frequency of current ow being in the ratio of a whole number, and the duration of current ow through the means being less than hall the period of the cylinder, ow of current distorting the cylinder and absence of current permitting the cylinder to vibrate substantially b3 the elasticity thereof.

ALFRED VANG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,212,202 Fessenden Jan. 16, 1917 1,937,602 Stewart Dec. 5, 1933 1,842,770 Thompson Jan. 26, 1932 1,518,123 Lawther Dec. 2, 1924 1,923,959 Williams Aug. 22, 1933 2,017,695 .Hahnemann Oct, 15, 1935 1,152,697 Bodde Sept. 7, 1915 2,364,679 Williams Dec. 12, 1944 2,349,656 Gulliksen May 23, 1944 2,338,640 Hellier Jan. 4, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 544,791 Germany Feb. 22, 1932 OTHER REFERENCES An Electromagnetic Sound Generator For 

